Grain-cleaning device



Oct.

IHIIDIIWIHW w. 'r. MERZENICH GRAIN CLEANING DEVICE Filed Nov. 9, @922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. T. MERZEINICH Oct. I 192%: GRAIN CLEANING DEVICE r q Filed Nov. 9, 7922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W/AL/H/Y 7T/VERZE/V/CH Patented Get. 28, 1924.

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WILLIAM T. MERZENICH, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIG-NOR TO ARTHUR STREMEL, OF WAYZATA, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-CLEANING DEVICE.

Application filed November 9, 1922. Serial No. 599,939.

Grain-Cleaning Devices; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a grain cleaning machine of the type using both cleaning screens and an air blast and is particularly adapted for the cleaning of seed'grain. The present invention is a development of and improvement on that disclosed in the prior patent of applicant No. 1,416,489, granted May 16, 1922.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine comprising a casing having a trough with a perforated bottom extending therethrough through which air is drawn into the casing and having means on the casing below the trough for regulating the air drawn through the same.

It is a further object of the invention to have such means comprising a pair of elongated doors with means for holding the same in various positions.

It "is another object of the invention to provide a bafile means or series of battle means at the air outlet portion of said casing.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to construct said baffle means with a plurality of parallel zigzag vertical plates enclosed in a removable frame.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the machine;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a partial horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

end to the shoe 6.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of the front of the machine; and Fig. 5 is a view of one of the parts detached.

Referring to the drawings, the machine is seen to comprise a casing l of general rectangular shape, at one end of which and above the same, is mounted a receiving hopper 2, the casing being provided with legs 3 at its four corners shown as formed of angle irons forming also the corners of the casing to which the sides are attached. The hopper 2 is provided with a slide 4 for regulating the discharge opening thereof, which slide is manipulated by a reciprocating, handle 5 extending to the rear of the casing. A shoe 6 is mounted in the rear upper portion of the casing carrying oppositely inclined sieves 7 and the shoe 6 issupported by a pair of spring strips 8 riveted'thereto and to the rear sides of the casing. The shoe 6 carries at its rear end a discharge chute 9 adapted to receive the material passing over the upper sieve 7 and the casing is also rovided with a forwardly discharging ciute 10 adapted to receive the material passing 7 through the lower screen 7 Suitable bearing brackets 11 are secured in the rear of the casing and carry parallel shafts to the upper one of which is secured at its outer end a handle crank 12 and a large spur gear 18. The latter gear meshes with a pinion 14 secured to the lower shaft which also carries a ter is carried by a shaft 17 extending through the rear part of the casing and supported in hearings on brackets 11 and in a bracket 18 secured in an intermediate part of the casing. A lever 19 is pivoted to the brackets 11 and is oscillated by an eccentric 20 secured to the shaft carrying gear 15, the lever'being pivotally connected at its upper From the described structure it will be seen that by turning the crank 12 the shaft 17 will be driven at a much greater speed and the shoe 6 will be oscillated, the springs flexing to permit this oscillation.

The shaft 17 is also adapted to be driven from a suitable motor by a belt adapted to run over a pulley 21 secured to the outer end of said shaft and it will be obvious that when the shaft 17 is so turned the shoe 6 will also be operated through the lever 19.

or less open position, thus regulating the draft. There is also a decided tendency for the fan to create a draft through the lower discharge opening of the trough and the draft through this portion of the machine can be regulated as desired by the door. 27. The clean and perfect grain will travel down the screen 24 and will be discharged through the chute 26 at the front of the casing. It has been discovered that the fan 22 creates certain eddy currents in the casing which will cause grain to lodge along the bottom 30 and to prevent such eddy currents and insure that all of the grain will move along said bottom and be discharged the baffle plates 39 and 40 are provided.

The frame 37 is merely held in position by friction and can be readily withdrawn and removed for the purpose of cleaning all the grain from the bottom 31. The/operation of the machine can be observed through the transparent plate 41.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a simple, compact and eflicient grain cleaner and one having decided improvements over that disclosed in his prior patent above identified.

It will, of course, be understood, that various changes may be made in the form, details and arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A grain cleaning device having in combination, a casing, a trough having a perforated bottom extending therethrough, air chambers at the sides of said trough having imperforate walls, the perforate bottom of said trough being in communication with the atmosphere, means for drawing a blast of air upwardly through the bottom of said trough and through said chambers and forcing the same out at one end of the casing below said trough, and means below said trough for regulating the blast of air passing therethrough.

2. A grain cleaning device having in combination, a casing, a trough having a perforate bottom extending through the casing, air chambers at each side of said trough having bottom portions inclined oppositely thereto and beneath the same forming a narrow inclined opening below the trough in communication with the atmosphere, and doors hinged along each side of said opening adapted to meet at the center thereof to close said opening, and means for holding said doors in various positions.

3. A grain separating device having in combination, a casing, a trough having a perforate bottom extending through said casing, air chambers at the sides of said trough having imperforate walls, means for drawing a blast of air upwardly through the bottom of said trough from the atmosphere, a discharge chute at the lower end of said trough, and means for varying the opening from the trough through said discharge chute to control the air entering the casing above the trough.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3, said last mentioned means comprising a cover having downwardly extending sides extended across the end of said trough and swinging about an axis extending transversely of said trough.

5. A pneumatic grain cleaner having in combination, a casing, an inclined troughlike runway extending through said casing and provided with a perforate bottom, said casing forming an air chamber above said trough, and air chambers having imperforate walls extending downwardly at each side of said trough, a fan having a casing with an air intake port in communication with said latter chambers, the outlet of said fan casing being directed outside of said casing into the atmosphere, and a series of baffie means through which the air discharged from said fan is adapted to pass.

6. The structure setforth in claim 5, said series of baflie means comprising a series of vertical parallel zigzag plates.

7. A grain cleaning device having in combination, a casing, grain separating means therein, means for drawing a blast of air into said casing and discharging the same from said casing into the atmosphere, and a series of baffle means comprising longitudinally disposed parallel zigzag plates through which said blast of air is discharged into the atmosphere.

8. A grain cleaning device having in combination, a casing, grain cleaning means .therein, means for drawing a blast of air into said casing and discharging the same from said casing into the atmosphere, a removable frame adapted to fit into the discharge opening of said casing, said frame having secured therein a series of vertically arranged parallel zigzag plates forming tortuous passages therebetween through which the air is discharged.

9. A grain cleaning device having in combination, a casing, air chambers therein having curved side and bottom walls, a fan casing with which said air chambers communicate, a fan adapted to draw air through the air chambers into the fan casing, and a curved longitudinally extending baflle on the wall of each chamber to prevent eddy currents.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM T. MERZENICH. 

